7 R35 
PV 1 




THE 




RESOURCES,,,,. 

L/ivi 'VI LnuL I'vi A Vi ; 

Manufacturing Capacity 



OF THE- 



LOWER 



FOX RIVER 



VALLEY. 



^■F:PI_iETOiT, wisoo3srsi3sr 




By a. J. Reid, 

Editor of the Appleton Post. 



APPLETON : 

REID & MILLER, STEAM BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. 
1874. 











wzsoonsrsinsr. 

IV. Furniture Factory, Lederer A Brewster. 
18. Paper Mil', «. N. Richmond & Bros. 
1. 19. Telulah Mineral .Springs. Hyde & HarrimaB. 

20. Spoke Factory, Billings & Morrison, 

21. Appleton Woolen Mills. 
23. Tannery. 

1. 23, Hul? and Spoke Factory, G«o. Kratss. 

94. Saw Mill. Ko.-,b <fe Heatfi. 



THE 



RESOURCES 



AND 



MANUFACTURING 

CAPACITY 



OF THE 



Lower Fox River Valley, 

APPLETON, WISCONSIN. 



By a. T. Reid, 

Editor of The Appleton Post. 



APPLETON : 

Reid c^• Miller^ Steam Book and Job Printers. 

1874. 




snniie PnolAir, lliuvlon < Bororldgo. It KKii.riUi >i -■" -, i ,11 



Introduction. 



The object of preparing the following pages for public perusal 
is to disseminate information respecting the resources and advan- 
tages, for the establishment of great manufacturing industries, of- 
fered by the Lower Fox River Valley, and by the City of Appleton 
as its natural center. As regards these important matters it is 
true that only vague and uncertain opinions prevail, at least 
among that class which is most likely to make such characteristics 
available for the creation of great wealth. If the desired object 
is accomplished, there is every reason to beheve that the natural 
results which are likely to accrue will be mutually beneficial to 
those who are already, and such as may hereafter become, con- 
cerned in the development of this valley. It can scarcely escape 
the attention of any one who will familiarize himself with the in- 
formation which these pages contain, that it is derived from solid 
merit, and not from spurious or imaginary data. If the effect of 
this effort is to cause something of surprise among business men, 
that a locality possessing such superior advantages had never be- 
fore become known to them, it may be accounted for upon the 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

grounds that no special effort has ever been made to bring this 
place into public notice. But this does not, in the slightest de- 
gree, change or modify the plain, patent facts, that the Lower Fox 
River Valley possesses all the essential characteristics of material 
wealth and greatness, and that its development will be attended 
with important results, not only to this locality, but to the whole 
country as well. It is proper to add, in this connection, that great 
care and precision have been exercised in collecting the facts and 
compiling the statistical information which these pages contain ; 
and in the main they may be received as being entirely correct. 



THE 



Lower Fox River Valley, 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE 
VALLEY. 

The Lower Fox River Valley embraces a section of country 
situated between Lake Winnebago and Green Bay, and is com- 
posed of the counties of Winnebago, Calumet, Outagamie and 
Brown. From north-east to south-west it extends a distance of 50 
railes. and from north-west to south-east about 40 miles. This 
territory embraces an area of about 1,280,000 acres. At present 
about two-fifths of the whole amount is occupied by a magnificent 
growth of timber — mostly hard-wood — and the remaining three- 
fifths is made up of rich and fertile arable lands. The cultivated 
portion is admirably adapted to the various departments of 
husbandry, and here cereals and all other kinds of farm products 
are raised in such quantities per acre as equal in extent the most 
highly favored agricultural sections. The valley is intersected by 
the 44th parallel of latitude, and its climate, therefore, is similar to 

that vv^hich obtains in Southern Minnesota, Central Michigan, 

9 



6 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 

Central New York, and in the southern part of Vermont and 
New Hampshire. From the time of its earliest settlement it has 
been noted for its health-giving elements. Even in early times it 
was free from sectional epidemics, and it has been ascertained 
that the average mortality among the inhabitants is considerably 
below the general average- The atmosphere is pure and bracing, 
free from all malaria, and imparts to each inhabitant the freshness 
and vigor of its own vitality. 

As a place of residence the Fox River Valley presents every 
attraction which is at all desirable. The scenery which borders 
the majestically flowing stream, the variegated beauty of wood- 
land and meadow and finely cultivated farms, the pleasant undu- 
lations of valley and hillside, the roar of the cataract, the grace 
and curve and dash of the swift-rushing current, all combine to 
minister to the esthetic as well as to the practical wants of the 
people of this valley. 

Among its inhabitants the various nationalities are represented 
in such proportions as tend to the development of great diversity 
of employment and enterprise. The improvements which have 
already been wrought, the investment of surplus capital in such a 
manner as to utilize the material on hand, the establishment of 
schools, academies and colleges, demonstrate that the people 
have a correct appreciation of the highest mission of an enlight- 
ened community. The population of the Lower Fox River Val- 
ley, according to the last census, is as follows, by counties : 

Winnebago 37>279 

Calumet 12,335 

Outagamie 18,430 

Brown 25,168 

Total 93,212 

Since 1870 the immigration to this section of country has been 
considerable, and, from reliable data at hand, it is fair to estimate 
that the population has increased during this time at least 20 per 
cent., which would swell the above figures, in 1 874, to over 1 20.000. 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 



ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF 
A MANUFACTURING CENTER. 

There are certain natural advantages which every com- 
munity must possess in order to achieve any considerable distinc- 
tion as a manufacturing center, and which it is our purpose to 
show obtain to a remarkable extent in the Lower Fox River 
Valley. 

I St. The facility by which the most economical natural agency 
can be secured as a means of furnishing power. 

2d. Upon the quality and extent of available resources in the 
way of raw materials. 

3d. The cost of transportation, which affects the cost of raw 
materials and the value of manufactured products. 

These propositions and their various subdivisions, as they relate 
to this valley, it shall be the purpose of this work to elaborate and 
explain. As the general result of the operation of these influ- 
ences, it may be announced, that tbey determine the value of all 
industrial products which represents the cost of the labor required 
in preparing them for the consumer's use. 

THE SUPERIORITY OE WATER-FALLS OVER 

OTHER NATURAL AGENTS AS A MEANS OF 

FURNISHING POWER. 

The value of rapid streams to the manufacturing industries of 
the world is almost beyond calculation. They afford advantages 
for furnishing power superior to any other of the natural 
agents. Steam is valuable and can be appropriated to a greater 
variety of purposes, and to dispense with it would place us a long 
way back on the road whereby we have emerged from barbarism; 
but power thus furnished and communicated to machinery 
involves a greater outlay than that supplied by falling water. 
The apparatus required, and the material necessary in its pro- 
duction, creates an expense which forms no inconsiderable item 
in the annual disbursements of the manufacturer who uses it. 
The iron muscles to which it imparts life and power may never 



8 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 

weary, but they have to be replaced at an expense vastly greater 
than that which is necessary in the utiHzation of water. Its gen- 
eration is preceded by a consumption of material which in most 
locahties is important. But the flow of water is ceaseless, in con- 
sideration of which nature exacts no royalty, and with which the 
spread of civilization does not interfere or lessen. The object of 
this comparison is not to demonstrate the inadequacy of steam, 
but to show the superior advantages possessed by water-falls as a 
means of creating, or rather transferring, power for manufacturing 
purposes. The value of steam consists in its universal applica- 
tion; that of water in its special application. 

The Hon. Wm. I). Kelley, in demonstrating to a Southern 
audience the impractical and unwise policy of slavery, stated that 
a dozen men and dogs had often followed for days on the track 
of one lame negro, while vv^ater-power equivalent to the muscular 
force of a thousand negroes ran to waste unregarded beside them. 
We smile at the policy thus forcibly exposed ; but might not this 
smile, in view of the vast and almost unlimited water-power which 
is still unappropriated in this beautiful valley, be broadened into a 
laugh, and turned against ourselves? Surely this would be a just 
proceeding if, although failing in means to fully appropriate these 
natural advantages for the creation of wealth, we should neglect 
to acquaint others with these facts who have both the means 
and the desire to turn them to the best possible account. To do 
this fairly and faithfully is the purpose of presenting to the pubhc 
the facts herein contained. 



THE WATER-POWER AFFORDED 
BY THE LOWER FOX RIVER. 

One of the chief features of superiority which this valley pos- 
sesses, and which is destined to make it, sooner or later, the great 
manufacturing center of the West, if not the entire country, is the 
not only unsurpassed but unequalled water-power afforded by the 
Fox River. What part of the universe with which he lias to do 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 9 

has not man in his vanity offered some improvement on the 
original design ? The Fox River water-power, however, is an 
exception which lies beyond the domain of criticism. Its flow is 
as ceaseless as the attraction of gravitation is constant ; its supply 
as regular and uniform as the change of seasons ; its volume suf- 
ficient in extent to furnish investment for three hundred miUions 
of capital, and employment for one quarter of a million of me- 
chanics and laboring men. While other streams are crippled in 
power by droughts, and rendered furious and dangerous by freshets, 
the Fox River is always the faithful servant of industry, and is 
never disturbed nor rendered unreliable by the action of the ele- 
ments upon it. This stream has its source in Lake Winnebago, 
an immense area of water, of not less than 350 square miles in 
extent. It also has connection with Lake Poygan, which is about 
30 miles in circumference, and with Lake Butte desMortes, of some- 
what less dimensions. These reservoirs are so vast in extent that 
droughts and freshets have little effect upon them, and the fluctua- 
tion of water discharged through their outlet is never greater than 
three feet. We look in vain for such a rare combination of ad- 
vantages elsewhere in this country. The Mississippi, Genesee, 
and Merrimack Rivers are important streams on which numerous 
and extensive industries have been established, but none of them 
possess the incomparable excellencies of the Lower Fox. Their 
supply is furnished by small streams which ramify mountainous 
regions, and upon which both droughts and freshets produce 
immediate and at many times disastrous effects. The Lower Fox 
River is an isolated case where the natural relation is such that a 
considerable proportion of the maximum flowage is converted in- 
to a reserve supply by which an approximate uniformity of vol- 
ume is preserved. The value of this advantage is not easily 
calculated, in that it renders the power thus created more relia- 
ble than can be otherwise obtained, besides guarding against the 
dangers of inundation and the serious effects resultant from 
droughts. The flowage of water at its lowest stage, as will be 
shown, is always ample not only to subserve the purposes of navi- 
gation, but large manufacturing interests as well. 

The height and power of water-falls on the Lower Fox River^ 
between Lake Winnebago and Green Bay, are as follows : 



JO LOWER FOX RIVEK VALLEY. 



Names of places, H. ight of fall. Horse-po^er. 

Neenah and Menasha lo , 3,ooO' 

Appleton 38 11,500 

Cedars ., 10 3,ooC' 

Little Chute , 38 11,500 

Kaukauna 40 i4r5oo 

Rapid Crosche 8 2,300 

Little Kaukauna 8 ,. , 2,300- 

Depere , 8 2,300 



Total 150 50,400' 

In addition to the above it may be stated that these figures^ 
represent the amoant of power which is available at all seasons of 
the year, as the estiniate is based upon the minimum flowage of 
water, which is 150,000 cubic feet per second. The figures 
representing the other extreme might also be given, so as to 
create still more favorable impressions, but calculations upon this 
basis would, at certain seasons of the year, be attended with dif- 
ficulty beyond a certain limit ; and the object of presenting this 
information i« to furnish reliable data for practical operations. 
Of the amount of power represented by the above figures, not- 
withstanding the numerous industrial establishments that are in 
oi)eration in this valley, and the millions of dollars in products- 
which they are distributing over the world every year, not more 
than ten per cent, of the whole amount is appropriated at the 
present time in forging iron, in fashioning textile fabrics, in con- 
verting timber into building materials, wagon stock, barrel stock, 
and furniture > m changing cereals into bread-stuffs, and various- 
other kinds of crude materials into articles which the country is 
already looking to us to supply ; the remaining force of this 
mighty agent sweeps onward to the sea, impatient to be harnessed 
by man's genius, and invited by it to promote great industries, 
and subserve the wants of civilization. 

The matter can be regarded in another light r Power is value 
when it can be made available. A given amount of }x>wer con- 
tained in a water-fall is at least equivalent in value to the same' 
amount of power invested in j^erishable bone and muscle. The 
power that is running to waste beside us io, therefore, equivalent 
to the muscular force of fifty thousand horses. It is true that the 
horse may do man's biddinr on a wider area, but there is a limit 



"LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. It 

to his endurance, and it costs something to create the power which 
he is competent to exert. But it will answer the purpose of this 
■comparison to call their value equal. An average horse is com- 
petent to earn for its owner at least fifty cents per day. Fifty 
thousand horses, therefore, would be competent to earn ^25,000 
•every day j and in one year they could create value to the extent 
•of over ^8,000,000. And yet this vast amount of power hurries 
past us every year and becomes buried in the bosom of the sea. 
These figures may be startling, but the conclusion is warranted by 
the facts whilh precede them, 

A pertinent question in this connection would be, what course 
would the people of the Fox River Valley be likely to pursue if 
this vast power and its attendant value were invested in so many 
horses rather than in water falls. Would they be likely to say, 
because we have not the means or apparatus for employing them, 
we will, therefore, let them reniain idle. We will not even place 
them in the market and advise capitalists how an investment of 
their means in these possessions would be a profitable transaction 
for the buyer and seller,? That no such fatal mistake may be re- 
corded against us, is the object of presenting information perti- 
nent to the material interests of this valley. 



AVAILABLE RESOURCES. 

The story of the advantages which this locality possesses is not 
yet half told. There still remains to be explained the resources 
of this beautiful valley, upon which the perpetual smiles of the 
Almighty seem to rest. 

The fertility of its soil alone is an element of wealth that can 
be reckoned with the most flattering results. A few general 
statistics will enable the reader to approach nearer to reliable 
information. In the following, such counties are named as are 
contained in the valleys of the Upper and Lower Fox, and are 
contiguous to this stream. They annually produce in value 
agricultural products as follows : 



12 LOWER FOX EIVER VALLEY. 



VALLEY OF LOWER FOX. 



Counties. Acres of improved land. Total value of farm products. 

Brown 51,884 $860,127 

Outagamie 74,886 904,021 

Calumet 62,194 776,848 

Winnebago 152,819 2,210,718 



Total 341,783 M,75i,7i4 

VALLEY OF UPPER FOX. 

Counties. Acres of improved land. Total value of farm products. 

Green Lake 97,149 ^4,536,438 

Waushara....; 59,76o 843,228 

Marquette 62,219 697,709 

Columbia 251,814 2.913,397 



Total 470,942 $5,990,772 

341.783 . 4,751,714 



Grand Total 812,725 $10,742,486 

These figures are according to the census report of 1S70, and, 
in view of the rapid development and increased productiveness of 
the country since that time, we may add at least 20 per cent, to the 
above figures, thus making the total annual value of the agricul- 
tural products of the Fox River Valley over ^12,000,000. 

The amount of timbered land in the same territory, leaving 
out every acre that is otherwise unimproved, is as follows : 

Counties. Acres of woodland. 

Brown 88,302 

Outagamie 107,861 

Calumet 88,424 

Winnebago 53,749 

Green Lake 43,090 

Waushara _. 35,^60 

Marquette 97 ,008 

Total 5i3,994 

The proportion represented by these figures is magnificently 
timbered land, and embraces nearly 40 per cent, of the entire 
area of the territory of which this valley is composed. As the 
result of careful thought and investigation, Horace Greeley an- 
nounced in one of his papers on agriculture, that an average of 
15 per cent, of the area of the country would afford an ample 
supply of timber for the miscellaneous wants of the people. 



LOWER KOX KJV£R VALLEY. I3 

Upon this basis there may be appropriated, with safety, 25 per 
cent, of the timber which is still standing in this valley, for 
manufacturing purposes, or nearly 150,000 acres. Placing the 
average quantity per acre at 5,000 feet, which is not an excessive 
estimate, we have 750,000,000 feet of timber in this valley, 
which is awaiting the further establishment of manufacturing 
enterprises here, to convert it into materials for which the de- 
mand is constantly increasino;. And, of course, the most exten- 
sive and profitable returns must be realized by the establishment 
of new industries, by which these materials can be manufactured 
in the locality where they exist. 

A GRICUL TURAL PR OD UCTS. 

But we have as yet only glanced at the resources which, if not 

in our immediate possession, are still at our command. The 

amount of cereal productions of the several States and Territories, 

for which, when properly improved, the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers 

will afford the cheapest and most feasible line of transportation, 

is almost beyond the limit of comprehension. By consulting 

the United States Census Reports of 1870, we find the following 

information on this point: 

States. Bushels of cereals. 

Wisconsin » 63,790,671 

Minnesota 35o97>563 

Nebraska 8,569,371 

Kansas 23,708,260 

Missouri 97,757,086 

One-half of Illinois 94,384,312 

Iowa 121,842,485 

Total 445,449,748 

In order that we may get an approximate estimate of the 
aggregate product of 1873, we may increase the above figures at 
least one-half, in view of the enlarged and more prolific yield 
of that year, as well as the increased proportion of arable lands 
in each of the States enumerated. As the result of this calcula- 
tion it appears, therefore, that the cereal product of 1873 
amounted to nearly 700,000,000 bushels. Allowing that the 
inhabitants of the States above named, which aggregate 7,259,545, 
consume, per capita, on an average, 1 2 bushels, there still remains a 

surplus, to 'be exported every year, of seven -eighths of the whole 

3 



14 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 

product, or about 600,000,000 bushels. (Included in theaboveex- 
ception is also the amount that is deemed sufficient for seed.) This 
statement of facts exhibits, in a forcible andstriking'degree, wliat 
immense resources are at our disposal in the way of agricultural 
products. And if only a fractional part of this vast amount is 
utilized here, we can readily see how the Lower Fox River Val- 
ley may become the grand center for the converting of cereals 
into breadstuffs for the entire country. 

WOOL. 

With reference to the manufacture of all kinds of woolen 
fabrics, there is not a point in the whole country, developed or 
undeveloped, which possesses as superior a combination of ad- 
vantages as this valley. It is respecting our convenient and inti- 
mate relations with the great wool-growing sections of the countr)' 
that will be treated of in this connection. The great bulk of this 
important product is now manufactured on the Atlantic coast. This 
unnatural and forced condition of things will become apparent, 
when the fact is stated, that the center of the wool-growing sec- 
tion is at least 1,500 miles distant from the various points along that 
coast. Or perhaps the estimate will occupy a safer basis by 
stating that at least one-half of the aggregate amount of wool 
grown in this country, before any expense is involved in the way 
of freight, occupies a natural position at as great a distance from 
the sea-coast as is expressed by the above figures. And yet the 
great mass of this comrtnodity, aside from the inconsiderable pro- 
portion which is utilized by establishments of hmited capacity, in 
the manufacture of the coarser fabrics, is annually shipped on 
expensive lines of transportation, thousands of miles, to different 
points where the proper facilities exist for converting it into the 
various forms of textile fabrics, with which to supply the demands 
of the country. It is unnecessary to speak of the increased cost 
of these goods when delivered again to the consumer, occasioned 
by the tax imposed by the expensive transportation of the crude 
materials to the East, and the shipment of the manufactured 
wares back to the West. And yet these operations must continue, 
until some point which is adjacent to the wool-growing regions of 
the West, and which possesses the natural advantages to carry on 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 1 5 

great manufacturing enterprises, is developed and rendered 

available for the successful and practical prosecution of this 

great industrial woi<k. The following statistics will show the 

extent of the wool product in the various States which 

naturally look to the Fox River Valley as the nearest 

manufacturing point. 

states. ■ Pounds, 

Missouri 3,649,390 

Tennesse 1,389,762 

Mississippi 288,285 

Lousiana 140,428 

Arkansas 214,784 

Indiana 5,029,023 

Illinois 5739.299 

Iowa 2,961,043 

Michigan 8,726,145 

Wisconsin 4,090,670 

Minnesota 401,185 

Kansas 335.075 

Nebraska 74,665 

One-half of Alabama 190,626 

Texas , 625,624 

Total 33,761,924 

By consulting a map it will be seen that the geographical 
position of the States above mentioned is such that this val- 
ley is, or soon will be, connected with them by a reliable 
water-channel which will afford cheap transportation for this 
product, as well as the various kinds of crops. Concerning the 
advantages of this relation to manufacturing industries in this 
valley, real and prospective, we shall ti'eat under the appro- 
priate heading, in a subsequent part of this work. From 
what has been already said, however, it will appear that the 
manufacture of wool, along the line of this stream, into the 
innumerable classes of fabrics for which it is adapted, is an 
undertaking that will be sure to be attended with greater 
profit than will be likely to reward the establishment of this 
industry anywhere else in the country. 

COTTON. 

The manufacture of cotton in this valley is a subject worthy 

of the extended consideration of the capitalist. By means of 

the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, as now 

contemplated by the government, we shall be placed in con- 



1 6 LOWER F-OX RIVER VALLEY. 

venient relations with the Mississippi States, which embrace 
the most prolific cotton sections of the entire South. This 
important product is raised in greatest aHurtdance in Eastern 
Arkansas, Western Mississippi, and in the North-eastern part 
of Lousiana, which section is divided by the great " Father of 
Waters." And it is a fact, which investigation will support, 
that the cotton raised in at least one-half of the vSouthern 
States can be delivered at various points along this valley at 
a much less cost than is involved in laying it down at the 
manufacturing centers of New England. Let him who 
doubts this conclusion simply consult a majD, notice the inti- 
mate relation which we sustain to the vStates enumerated 
below, and the never-failing water-channel by which they 
can be I'eached, and the products of their soil obtained at the 
least cost, plus their purchase price. Then let him compare 
the merits of this route with the course which the cotton crop 
must take if shipjDcd to New England, and the doubt will be 
dispelled. It is true that the former line of transj^ortation, as 
compared with the latter, is more direct, and the distance is 
not more than one-third as great. The advantage of turning 
these shipments in a different direction will again appear when 
the generally conceded fact is stated, that the route of vessels 
bearing this product to New England, along and around the 
coast, is an exceedingly circuitous and dangerous one, and at 
some seasons of the year these voyages are attended with 
great loss. The result of this is to make insurance higher 
and the cost of transportation much gi"eater than it would 
otherwise be. But in the route described by the Mississippi 
and the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, we see that these difficul- 
ties are so greatly lessened as to almost entirely disappear. 
Below we subjoin statistics of the cotton crop of such States 

as come within the range of the calculation presented above : 
states. Bales of Cotton. 

Missouri 1,246 

Arkansas 247,968 

Louisiana 350,832 

Tennessee 181,842 

Mississippi 564,938 

Texas 350,628 

One-half of Alabama 214,741 

Total 1,912,195 



"LOWER FOX RTVER VALLEY. 1^ 

All of these States, except the two hist mentioned, border 
ion the Mississippi River, which, with its tributaries, offers 
ithe cheapest and most natin-al outlet for the cotton and all 
other crops of the Southern States. The latter two, although 
not so fiivorabl}' situated, are more accessible from this vallev 
than from any of the manufacturing cities of New England, 

By changing the place for the manufacture of this product, 
let us see about what can be saved in the way of freight everv 
year. The total quantity of cotton above indicated, when 
•converted into another denomination, amounts to 382,439 tons. 
The distance of the cotton producing center we have de- 
scribed, from the manufacturing towns of Connecticut and 
Massachusetts, around the coast, is not f.ir from 3,000 miles. 
The distance of the same center from the Fox River Valley 
does not exceed 1,000 miles. The comparative cost of mov- 
ing products by the different methods ma}^ thus be stated, ac- 
cording to standard authority : 

dassiflcalion. Cost in iiiillt; per ton, per mile. 

By Railroad 12. 5 

By Otxlinary Canak -• 4.5 » 

By Lakes, Rivers and Ship Canals 3. 

By Ocean Voyage - 1.5 

It appears, therefore, from these figures, that the cost of 
shipping a ton of cotton from the assumed point, around the 
coast, is $4.50; and that the cost of moving a like quantity to 
this valley is $3.00; while the matter of insurance, which 
operates in favor of the latter route, makes the disparity all 
the greater. Hence it follows that there may be saved oil 
each ton of cotton $1.50, by turning its course towards the 
new manufacturing center; and on the aggregate annual pro- 
duct above quoted we see that this proportion develops into 
the fabulous sum of $537,6^8, or a sufficient amount to distri- 
bute the manufactured goods to consumers living within a 
radius of 500 miles. The outcome of this arrangement of 
facts is, that in the manufactuj-e of cotton fabrics with which 
to supply the people of this coimtry, west of Central Ohio, 
we cannot only compete with the producers of Nev\' England, 
but we can furnish this class of goods much cheaper than 



S8 LOWEn? FOX RIVER VALLEY. 

they can, because, as we have seen, our facilities for securing: 
rawr materials are superior, and our advantages for manufac- 
turing at least equal to theirs, leaving the cost of delivering 
these goods in our favor, w^hich is a material surplus that can 
be shared with profit by the producer and consumer. Nay, 
more, we can still approach the East from the extremity of 
this radius and meet our Eastern competitors half way, and 
there undersell them in the market, by virtue of reasons which 
will hereafter be explained ; while in that vast couHtry situ- 
ated west of the Mississippi, we can maintain an absolute 
monopoly in this business, from which our competitors may 
be shut out on account of the intervening distance. In the 
light of the foregoing, it must appear to every mind that the 
manufacture of cotton in the Fox River Valley is entirely 
practical and feasible, and is an enterprise which must at least 
be undertaken within the limits of the present generation. 

T/MB£J^. 

, Reference has already been made to some of the resources 
at our command in the way of timber. Figures have been 
presented to show the large quantities which still remain in 
this valley for manufacturing purposes, exclusive of the 
reserve I'equired to fairly supply the country ; but this is not a 
tithe of this kind of material which we may appropriate if 
we desire. Beyond the limits of our beautiful valley, to the 
north and west of us, are immense virgin forests where no 
traces of the innovations of industry are seen, and whose 
silence is yet unbroken, save by the voice of the storm-king 
in his ftiry. Of the extent of these resources some idea may 
be had by consulting the following statistics, which ex- 
press the amount of hard timber available for manufacturing 
purposes. The first four counties are situated on the bay 
shore, and the material may be moved on bay and river to 
any desired point in this valley, upon the least expensive lines 
of internahtransportation. The next six are opened up by 
the extension of the Wisconsin Central Railroad through 
them, and the resources thereof thus rendered tributary to 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 1 9 

this valley. With the county last mentioned we also have 
railroad communication. The counties referred to, with their 
respective amounts of hard timber, are as follows: 

Counties. Acres. 

Oconto 1,400,000 

Kewaunee 36,000 

Menominee 76,000 

Waupaca » 89,000 

Portage 29,000 

Wood 80,000 

Marathon 1 ,250,000 

Chippewa- 1,000,000 

Ashland 500,000 

Bayfield 310,000 

Manitowoc - 86,000 

ToTAl, 4,856,000 

Multiplying these figures by 5,000, the estimated average 
number of feet per acre, and we find the result to be 24,280,- 
000,000 of hard-wood timber. Deducting 15 or even 20 per 
cent, as before, as a sufficiency of woodland for protection 
against winds, and as affecting the climatic and sanitary con- 
ditions of the country, and the varied wants of its inhabitants, 
and we find that there still remains nearly 20,000,000,000 feet 
of hard-wood timber, which is at such a convenient distance 
from this valley, as that the question of its availability for the 
support of industrial interests here can be a matter of no 
doubt whatever. 

But even these figures convey an imperfect idea of the 
value and extent of our forest resources. We again summon 
figures to our aid in order to express the quantity of pine 
timber contained in Northern Wfsconsin. It is proper to 
state that neither the census reports nor official documents of 
any kind furnish any information respecting the amount of 
pine stumpage in the country. But the figures presented 
below, although not from these sources, are from reliable 
authority; and, while they may not be absolutely correct, they 
express a quantity which approaches very closely to the 
actual amount. On the various streams in Northern Wiscon- 
sin the quantity of pine timber is respectively as follows: 



20 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 

Kivei's- Feet of Pine. 

Chippewa 6,000,000,000 

Wolf 1,250,000,000 

Wisconsin 2,500,000,000 

Oconto " 1,000,000,000 

Pcshtigo ' 1,500,000,000 

Menominee - 3,500,000,000 

ToTAi, — ■ 1 5,750,000,000 

The Menominee River divides Michigan and Wisconsin^ 
and a considerable quantity of the pine on this stream is- 
situated in the former State, but it is properly classified with 
the last item, notwithstanding. By noticing the course of 
these streams and their relation with each other and the 
Lower Fox River, it will be seen that these vast resoin-ces 
are all tributary to this valley, and the fact that they can be 
shipped upon water routes to and from this point, renders 
the manufacture of them in this x'egion an undertaking which 
presents naught but the most favorable features. But while 
the manufacture of lumber in this valley is already an impor- 
tant industry, and promises to develop into far greater pro- 
portions, still it is not maintained that this valley, favorably 
situated as it is, should have a monopoly of that business, to 
the support of which these inexhaustible resources should 
contribute exclusively. Large quantities should necessarily 
be manufactured in the more immediate lumber regions, and 
find an outlet through various other channels to supply the 
demands in the different parts of the country. This is 
especiall}^ true with reference to the important proportions to 
be utilized "as building materials proper. But the object of 
presenting these facts is, to show the vast quantities of forest 
products which are situated at a convenient distance from 
this valley, and which may be had in such installments as may 
be demanded, however extensive that may be. There is 

scarcely an industry that can be established but that requires, 
in one way or another, timber in some form, and it is in this 
view of the case that an abundance of materials of this kind 
is most valuable. 

The final value of timber, like everything else, depends 
tipon the amount of labor expended upon it. The value of a 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 21 

pine log is much greater than that of the crude material. 
And, again, the value of these products when fashioned into 
the symmetrical proportions of the almost innumerable 
variety of wares to which they are adapted is many times multi- 
plied. It is industries that perform the office last indicated, 
that can be established and operated in this valley with the 
greatest profit. So far, this region is the natural manufactur- 
ing center for the Western States. It is the intermediate 
point between vast forests, the resources of which are so 
extensive that although man may calculate their quantity and 
value, he can scarcely comprehend them ; and populous cities, 
villages and vast agricultural districts of which the country 
east and south of us is composed. As we have learned, it 
possesses all of the natural advantages to enable industrial 
operations of this class to be prosecuted at the least known 
cost, and, by virtue of the cumbersome dimensions of forest 
products, and the expense involved in transportation, renders 
their extensive manufacture elsewhere practically impossible. 
Hence it appears that the Fox River Valley, sooner or later, 
must take on the character which has been indicated, and for 
which nature has admirably designed it. And the generation 
which inaugurates this development is one that will be well 
known in the history of modern civilization. 

IRON. 

The relation which this valley sustains to sections of coun- 
try rich in mineral deposits, is worthy of extended considera- 
tion. Of course it seems idle to speculate upon the extent of 
these resources, for the world does not j^resent an area of ter- 
ritory, equivalent in dimensions, beneath which are deposited 
such vast stores of minerals as the regions of country bordering 
on Lake Superior. Probably no other characteristic has 
contributed so largely to the development of the Western 
States as the Immense iron deposits in this section. It has 
come to be a generally received fact, that no other material 
is so essential to modern civilization as this. It is by its use, 
in manifold forms, that man is enabled to achieve dominion 
over nature, and is the kev which unlocks her laboratory and 

4 



2 2 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 

reveals the hidden richness secreted there. The existence of 

this metal in the Marquette district v\^as discovered as far 

back as the year 1830, but it was not until fifteen years later 

that the manufacture of it was commenced, and then onl}' in 

a small way. New discoveries continued to be made and the 

value of the deposits demonstrated, but the first shipments of 

the raw material or manufactured product were not made 

until the year 1856, and about this time the development of 

the interests really began. 

Of course it is impossible to ascertain the extent of these 

resources, as that can only be done by operations continued 

to infinity. However, some intelligible idea may be gained 

of the amount which the iron mines have already produced. 

The following is a statement in gross tons of the aggregate 

yield in ore of the Lake Superior iron mines, from 1856 to 

18^3 inclusive: 

Tons. 

1856 - 7,000 

1857 21.000 

1858 ■ 31,038 

1859 65,679 

i860 116,908 

I86I 45.430 

1862 1 15,721 

1863 185,257 

1864 235,123 

1865. 196,256 

1866 296,972 

1867 466,076 

1868 507,813 

1869 633,238 

1870 856.471 

I87I 813,379 . 

1872 952,055 

1873 1,167,379 



ToTAi 6,712,792 

The quantity of pig iron manufactured from this crude 
material, will probably reach fifty per cent., in tons, of the 
gross amount. A considerable proportion has been shipped 
to furnaces in various parts of the countrv, while 428,8^6 tons 
have been manufactured in the iron region. The total value 
of this ore, expressed by the above figures, is placed at 
$55^743.666. 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 23 

Notwithstaiuliiig- this immense annual product, which is 
materially increased each successive year, the fifty mines 
which are in operation there, and which produce an average 
of nearly 25,000 tons of ore per year, have scarcely made a per- 
cejitible scar on the vast and inexhaustible deposits which are 
known to exist in that region. Indeed, many of the richest 
tracts of the iron territory are far remote from the scene of 
present operations, and no part of their products have yet 
been removed, other than what has been necessary to estab- 
Isih their value, and warrant the investment of capital. 

The next point which naturally presents itself for considera- 
tion is, whether or not the manufacture of this material in 
this locality is likely to be practical and profitable. It can- 
not escape the attention of any one who will notice the 
geographical relation of the Lower Fox River Valley, and 
the Lake Superior country, that we are connected with the 
immense iron districts by a reliable line of water transporta- 
tion, which, in a very short time, will be competent to receive 
vessels of six feet draft. By reason of the advantage thus 
afforded, together with the limited distance which separates 
the two sections, as can be conclusively proven, we can pre 
pare iron cheaper in this valley than it can be produced 
either in the great iron districts of Lake Superior or Penn- 
sylvania. It is well known that the manufacture of charcoal 
iron in the vicinity of Marquette is attended with serious 
difiiculty. Extensive operations of this kind for the past 
twenty years have been attended with such a great consunap- 
tion of fuel, that the supply in that immediate vicinity is not 
only greatly diminished, but pretty well exhausted. 
Indeed, the question is, already, if it is not more pi'ofitable to 
import fuel from the great coal fields of Pennsylvania and 
Ohio than to continue the further use of charcoal; and the 
solution of it has already been found by actual experiment. 
Upon this basis we present a comparative table of the cost of 
a ton of pig iron laid down in Chicago from Marquette and 
Pittsburgh, followed by the cost of a ton of charcoal pig iron 
manufactured at Appleton, in the Lower Fox River Valley: 



24 LOV.EK FOX RrVER VALLEV. 

FIG IRON. 

PITTSBURGH. 

One and one-half tons ore Sr8 oa 

Two tons coal, at four dollars per ton 8 Oo 

flux -••• I oo 

Labor " •• 3 oo 

Incidentals - •" ' I oo 

Freight to Chicago •• - — •" 7 00 



ToTAl - ' ' $38 00 

MARQUETTE. 

One and one-half tons ore- ••-■••- $8 00 

Two tons coal, at srx dollars per ton 12 00 

Flux •'-•'•■•• •■'•■ — I 00 

Labor - 300 

Incidentals - i 00 

Freight to Chicago - j 00 



Total $2800 

It will be borne in mind that in the above estimate anthra- 
cite coal is reckoned as the fuel, whereas in the follow- 
ing, charcoal is substituted instead, thus advancing the value 
of a ton at least $10. 

APPLETON. 

One and one-half tons of ore $12 00 

120 bushels of charcoal, at Sets, per bushel 9 60 



Flux- 

Labor 

Incidenalts • • 

Freight to Chicago 





20 


4 


00 


I 


00 


2 


00 



Total ^28 80 

The inarket price of a ton of iron manufactured by the use 
of anthracite coal, is from $40 to $45; while the price of 
charcoal iron ranges from $50 to $60. Taking the figm-es least 
favorable to Appleton, and we find the relative profits of the 
manufactures, over and above the cost of production and 
transportation, at the three points mentioned, to be as follows: 

Marquette • $17 00 

Pittsburgh 7 00 

Appleton 21 20 

Or if we figure the cost of producing a ton of charcoal pig 
iron at Marquette, the advantage is still in oin- favor. The 
itemized cost is as follows: 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. SJ 

One and one-half tons of ore $8 oo 

1 20 bushels of coal, at lo cents ' 12 00 

Flux 50 

Labor 5 00 

Incidentals i 00 

Freight to Chicago 3 00 

Total - S29 50 

Upon this basis wc sec that the manufacture of charcoal 
iron realizes a profit of nearly one dollar per ton more in this 
valley than in Marquette. No estimate of this kind can be 
made for Pittsburgh — anthracite coal being used there alto- 
gether. Of course all of these estimates are made upon 
market quotations previous to the late panic. Calculations 
might be made upon the cost and selling prices vvrhich now 
obtain, and the same proportion in favor of Appleton would 
still be preserved. 

It will scarcely be necessary to append the remark, after 
what has already been said concerning the extent of our 
timber resources, that there is an ample supply ot fuel at our 
command to develop this industry into gigantic proportions. 

It is known, also, that the Penokie Range, in North-western 
Wisconsin, which, ownng to its hithei'to isolated condition, has 
been developed little or none, contains immense and inexhaust- 
ible beds of iron ore averaging 60 per cent, of pure metal, 
according to the Geological Reports of David Dale Owen. 
This rich district will soon be rendered accessible by the ex- 
tension of the Wisconsin Central Railroad through its very 
heart. Recent investigations in the Menominee district, a sec- 
tion of country situated on the western shore of Green Bay, 
in this State, have been accompanied with very gratifying re- 
sults. A considerable proportion of that territory is fairly 
underlaid with extensive beds of iron ore. The quality of 
this material was thoroughly tested during the winter of 1873, 
and the result shows as large a percentage of pure metal as 
has ever been produced in older and more famous mineral 
districts. This iron range is not more than 60 or 70 miles 
north of the city of Appleton, the center of the Fox River 
Valley, and its products may be poured into the lap of indus- 



i6 LOWER FOX RIVER N'ALLET. 

try at this point, and utilized to the greatest possible advan- 
tage. 

But notwithstanding the favorable features which the con- 
sideration of this question has ah-eady presented, it is not the- 
simple manufacture of pig iron in this valley which should 
be regarded as of the greatest importance. The focts pre- 
sented above argue still more forcilily in tavor of the manu- 
facture of this material into the innumerable wares for which 
it is adapted. The operations of foundries, machine shops, 
car works, rolling mills, cutlery factories, agricultural works, 
and various other kinds of establishments for the utilization 
ol this material, may be carried on with greater profit here 
than elsewhere, for reasons so inanlfest as to require no 
tlemonstration. However,, the most potent one may be suc- 
cinctly stated as follows: 

The Fox River Valley is made up of an area of territory 
which yields prolific returns to the industry of the husband- 
man. Here, breadstufis and every substantial article of food 
demanded by factory operatives are raised at our very doors. 
and can be secured at prices which involve no part of the cost 
of transportation. But as regards the mineral producing 
regions of Lake Superior we find the case to be quite dif- 
frent. There, little or nothing is raised in the way of agri- 
cultural products. This class of supplies, as well as all others, 
are all imported at a considerable expense, which adds ma- 
terially to the purchase price exacted from the consumer. 
The manufacturer, of course, shares with him in this disad- 
vantage, and hence we see that so far as the iron industry, in its 
various branches, is concerned, the Fox River Valley ofTers 
"superior Inducements to its extensive development. 

COPFEM. 
It may be of interest to the reader to know somewhat of 
the extent of the copper product of Houghton, Keweenaw 
and Ontonagon Counties, which embrace these prolific 
mineral districts. The aggregate annual product of the 
mines in these several counties, from 1845 *^'-' '^74i ^* '^^ 
follows : 



1.(m'EK KOX RIVfR V ALL'S Y. 21) 

Tons. 

'i845 t" '854 7.642 

085410 1858 ...,...., 11,312 

1858 4,100 

9859 4,200 

1 860 6,000 

1861 7:500 

1862 9,962 

1863 8,549 

1864 8,472 

1865 10,791 

1866 10,376 

1867 11,735 

1868 13.049 

1869 15.288 

1870 16,183 

1 87 1 16,071 

1872 - 15,166 

1873 18,638 

Total •• * i95)033 

From this quantity of the crude material there have been 
manufactured, during; this period, 149,985 tons of ingot cop- 
per, which represent a value of $84,503,820. The average 
annual product for the past five years has been something 
over 13,000 tons, which is equivalent in value to nearly $7,- 
500,000. Extensive operations have recently been instituted 
in that district, and it is probable that the product of 1874 
will exceed that of any previous year. Of the utility of this 
material there is no question. It is required to be used in the 
composition of a great variety of articles, large and small, 
which form the product of extensive manufacturing indus- 
tries. And the advantage of the vast supplies contained in 
this territory, which is easy of access, and can be reached over 
chedp water-ways, must be of material coKsequencc t(> the 
future interests of this valley. 

Before leaving this division of the subject, it is appropriate 
to remark, that the famous mineral districts of Lake Superior 
also abound in silver, plumbagcj, and immense slate and 
marble beds, all of which are tributary to, and will serve a 
purpose in, the grand era of development which must, sooner 
or later, be inaugurated in this valley. 



28 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 

LEAD. 

It may not, perhaps, be generally known, but it is neverthe- 
less true, that this valley sustains natural relations of an inti- 
mate character with lead districts of vast extent. This terri- 
tory borders on the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers, 
and embraces about eighty-five townships — eight in Iowa, 
fifteen in Illinois, and sixty-two in the south-western part of 
Wisconsin. In many of the mines that are in operation, the 
ore crops out at the surface, and in numerous places extends 
to the depth of 150 feet. The development of these mines 
was commenced as far back as 1821, but for the first few 
years the operations were very meagre. The total amount 
of lead obtained in this district, since mining operations were 

instituted, is as follows: 

Tons,. 

1821 to 1831 30,000 

1831 to 1841 — •••• 69,500 

1841101851 ~ 270,000 

1851101861 202,500 

1 861 to 1 87 1 105,500 

Total kor 50 years 667,500 

At four and one-half cents per pound, the total value of 
lead produced by these mines is not far from $61,000,000. It 
.has been impossible to obtain statistics of the amount pro- 
duced during the past two years, but, taking the average 
yield of the past decade as a basis, the amount marketed dur- 
this period would be about 21,000 tons. As we have inti- 
mated, these districts are intersected by navigable streams 
connected with the Lower Fox River, from which it appears 
that this metal may be obtained in such proportions as may 
be desired, at the least possible outlay. The intervening dis- 
tance being less than 200 miles, it follows that the process of 
its manufacture may be carried on in this valley with appar- 
ently great advantage. 

ADVANTAGES OF CHEAP TRANSPORTATION. 

In the foregoing j^ages the effort has been made to explain 
some of the advantages which this valley possesses, and 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 29 

which every locality must possess in order to achieve any con- 
siderable distinction as a manufacturing center, viz., a con- 
venient relation to an abundance of all kinds of raw materials, 
with which to supply great diversified industries, and plenty 
of natural power to accommodate extensive manufactui-ing 
interests. But in addition to this, as was hinted at the out- 
set, the cost of shipping raw materials to the place where they 
are manufactured, and the prepared products to the points of 
general distribution, is an item to which great importance 
attaches. The advantage of being situated on a reliable line 
of water transportation, can scarcel}' be estimated in dollars 
and cents, such as the great water-path across the continent 
will afford, of which the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers will 
form an important part, when improved, as now contemplated 
by the government. But, when we attempt to calculate the 
results which mav really be expected from this source, we 
are met with the difficulty of having an incomplete basis on 
which to make the estimate; because the proportion which 
may be supposed to exist, between the present status of the 
.industrial interests of this valley and that which has been 
anticipated in the foregoing, and which the array of facts fully 
justifies, is almost as one to infinity. Still we will venture to 
proceed from the point to which these interests have already 
attained. From careful calculation it has been ascertained, 
that the industrial establishments in the Lower Fox River 
Valley pay an annual tribute to railroad corporations, upon 
manufactured wares, to the nearest wholesale point, of not less 
than $1,350,000. The total amount of freights on the same 
products shipped by water would not exceed $300,000. Ad- 
mitting that business dispatch requires one-half of this 
amount to be shipped by rail, and our manufacturers may still 
realize a saving of at least one-half million of dollars by 
reason of the facilities afforded by the water channel on 
which they are situated. In addition to this the competition 
for freight thus created necessitates a reduction in the rates 
of shipping by rail of at least 50 per cent, during seven or 
eight months of every year. We, therefore, find the general 
effect of our favorable situation to be, to -enable our manufac- 

5 



30 LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 

turei's to add to their annual profits 75 per cent, of the whole 
amount, which they would otherwise be compelled to pay 
out for freight every year. Data have been presented else- 
where to show that the manufactured wares of this valley 
may be increased ten-fold. Upon this basis the privileges of 
the water route mentioned would enable the industries of 
this valley to realize an annual saving in freights alone of 

$9475'Ooo- 

But these facts have been wholly applied to the shipping 
of manufactured goods. The same advantages, of course, 
operate with equal force in our favor in the securing of raw 
materials. Elsewhere we have traced out the natural and 
logical results of cheap transportation offered us, with refer- 
ence to the cotton product of the South, and have shown 
how hundreds of thousands of dollars may be saved every 
year, by changing the manufacturing center from its present 
location to the Fox River Valley. Regarding this product 
alone, we have seen that a pretty strong case is made out in 
our favor, by reason of our favorable situation. The same 
causes which render this change one of such vast economy, 
produce even more beneficial results when applied to the 
various products, which have been previously mentioned, and 
are raised in the several States that naturally look to this 
route as the cheapest outlet for their surplus productions. A 
very large proportion of these materials ai'e of such a de- 
scription that they will not admit of transportation to a great 
distance, for the purpose of having the manufacturing process 
performed upon them — being so cumbersome that consider- 
able of their value would be consumed in the cost thus in- 
volved. Or, to state the case differently, the profits of the 
manufacturer will be inversely as their distance, and the 
expense of the consumer in a direct ratio. 

By referring to the map herewith published, and noticing 
the various connections that are indicated, the conclusion is 
irresistible, that this water-route must become the great 
national highway for the transportation of produce between 
the East and West; and that it will in the future, as it has in 
the past, engage the attention of leading statesmen and 



LOWER FOX RlVfiR VALLEY. 3 1 

capitalists. It is the cheapest and most natural outlet for an 
immense tract of country, growing in population with start- 
ling rapidity, its climate and soil unsurpassed, and rich in 
natural resources beyond expression. It contains what may 
justly be called the granary of the world, timber without limit, 
inexhaustible deposits of useful and valuable minerals; 
abounds in production^ adapted by nature to be fashioned in- 
to manifold forms of textile fabrics. Yet we have seen that 
a very large proportion of these products have not been able 
to reach a paying market, because the tariff on i-ailroads 
trenches to such an extent upon the cost of production. But 
nature, in her bounty, seems to have provided us with a water- 
way by which this difficulty can be entirely overcome. 

We have it upon good authority that, during the decade 
from 1S55 to 1864, inclusive, the Eric Canal, which is the 
enterprise of a single State, saved to the country, in the way 
of freights, $133,637,045.97, or nearly three times the cost of 
its construction. And yet in population, productiveness and 
all of its material features, the country west of the Mississippi 
is to-day vastly in advance of the territory west of the lakes 
at the time when the effort was put forth by the " wise men 
of the East" to connect those inland seas w^ith tide water. 
Time has demonstrated the wisdom of that grand scheme, in- 
augurated nearly 60 years ago, by De Witt Clinton, from 
which the commerce of the country has realized an aggregate 
saving, as compared with railroads, of probably not less than 
$300,000,000. The improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin 
Rivers is simply an extension of the Ei"ie Canal, only on a 
grander scale, to the Mississippi River. From this enterprise 
we may expect similar results to flow, which shall be com-, 
mensurate with its great capacity. 

The superiority of this route over other water-ways to the 
East is quite apparent. It describes a more direct line to the 
great agricultural centers of the West, which furnish the 
great bulk of shipping commodities. It has less canal and 
lockage than any other, and for this reason the passage ot 
boats may be greatly accelerated. It connects with the lake 
at Green Bav, a point which is 300 miles nearer the seaboard 



X2 LOWER VOX RIVER VALLEY. 

than Chicago, or any other place on the southern end of 
Lake Michigan. This gives to it a decided advantage over 
the Illinois River, which probably ranks next in importance 
as a door of exit for the commerce of the West to reach tide- 
water. Moreover, the capacity of the latter is not naturally 
as great, nor can it ever be improved to that extent of which 
the former is susceptible. Wc see, therefore, that hundreds 
of thousands of dollars may be saved every year by directing 
the tide of commerce through the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers 
and the chain of lakes. The improvement of the Huron 
and Ontario Canal, also, — being an enterprise that is already 
in progress, — will serve as an important link ia this great com- 
mercial thoi-oughfare across the continent. This project will 
shorten the water-route between Montreal and New York, 
by a considerable distance, and will prove to be of conspicu- 
ous account in the great system of cheap transportation, in 
which both the people of this country and the Dominion of 
Canada are now deeply intei'ested, and which will be thor- 
oughly perfected ere the lapse of many years. 

It is scarcely necessary to consider these advantages as they 
relate to the manufacturing interests in this valley. If this 
route saves millions in the transportation of agricultural pro- 
ducts every year, as we have seen, it will also offer the same 
facilities to various other classes of industries, the value of 
which cannot be expressed in any lesser denomination. Ac- 
cording to the report of the Congressional Transportation 
Committee, the annual saving to the country which will fol- 
low the completion of this improvement, will be fully $60,- 
000,000. It is not easy to imagine the wonderful effect of the 
retention of this additional vast surplus among the industrial 
classes of the West. Agriculture, manufactures and com- 
merce would be stimulated to a degree hitherto imknown, 
and a more complete davelopment of all our varied re- 
sources would follow with marvelous rapidity. 

The objection may be presented in this connection to the 
effect that the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin 
Rivers, to the full extent . we have assumed, is not yet an 
established fact, and that the claims of other water-ways, con- 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 33 

necting the Mississippi with the seaboard, may possibly di- 
vert attention from this channel, and arrest the more 
favorable consideration of the government. There are several 
reasons which interpose to prevent any such results. First, 
the estimated cost of improving the several routes, which in 
some sections may be regarded as rival lines to that described 
by the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, is respectively as follows: 

To improve Mississippi River below Cairo $10,000,000 

Same above 20,000,000 

Canal at mouth of that river [5,000,000 

Improvement of Ohio River 25,000,000 

Improvement of James River and Kavvana Canal... 50,000,000 

Improvement of Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers 20,000,000 
Construction of a canal from Mississippi River 

over mountains to Georgia 35,000,000 

Improvement of Red, White, Arkansas and 

Ouchita Rivers 25,000,000 

ToTA 1 200,000,000 

As will be noticed by the accompanying map, the estimate 
of improving the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers is only a trifle 
over $4,000,000, so that, on the score of economy, the last 
named route is by far the most advantageous of any that 
have been mentioned. Even admitting that the improvement 
of the other streams is warranted by public necessity, it fol- 
lows, nevertheless, that the completion of the cheapest one 
should be the first to be accomplished. It is quite evident 
that all of this great woi'k cannot be done at once, nor can the 
immense expenditures which it would occasion be afforded. 
And, moreover, the government has already assumed the 
responsibility of this improvement, and the actual work is 
already in operation. It expended $145,000 to secure the 
navigable franchises of this route from the Green Bay and 
Mississippi Canal Company; and last year an appropriation 
of $300,000 was made and expended in putting in necessary 
improvements.^ This year a like appropriation has been made, 
and will be laid out in the prosecution of this work still 
further. We sec, therefore, that the government has already 
expended $645,000 upon this route, while the other routes 
have reached no further advancement than simple proposi- 
tions to Congress. And we have no right to presume that 



■J^ COWER FOX RIVER VALLFf. 

the government will abandon the improvement of the cheap'^- 
est route, upon which it has already expended so large an 
amount, and institute operatioiis elsewhere ta secure the same 
object at a much greater cost. Hence, it appears, that capita! 
invested upon this stream, with the important consideration of 
cheap facilities for transportation, will certainly enjoy all of' 
these advantages at the earliest date that is expedient and, 
possible. 

ADDITIONAL REASONS, 

OPERATING IN FAVOR OF THE FOX RIVER VAL.LEY AS 
A MANUFACTURING CENTER. 

The wages of operatives are much less in this valley tham 
in Eastern cities, and this difference will be continued through 
all time. For obvious reasons the expenses of living are 
much less here than there. This locality is made up of and 
surrounded by the richest agricultural districts which the 
country affords. In this territory is produced every staple 
article of food in sufficient abundance, not only to supply 
local consumption, however great that is or may become, but 
to I'ender the aggregate surplus of such vast extent as that 
it can only be be computed by hundreds of millions of bushels.. 
This advantage is important, and one that is by no means 
shared in common by the manufacturing cities of this country^ 
which have achieved distinction as such. It is doubtless true 
that a sufficient quantity of perishable products is raised in 
the New England States to supply operatives engaged in its 
industrial cities, as well as other classes of inhabitants; but it 
is also true that a great proportion of breadstuffs and other 
substantial articles of food, annually consumed, are imported 
from the agricultural districts of the West, which constitute 
the very surplus of that region of country with which, as we 
have seen, this valley holds such intimate relations. Of course 
the price of these products when they reach the Atlantic coast and 
the neighboring cities are considerably increased, and as a conse- 
;iuence the operative must receive greater wages, in order to 
^e able to supply himself with these necessities, than if he 



1.0"WT;R "FOX RIVER VAULEY. 3| 

"were employed a thousand miles West, Assuming, how- 
ever, that the employer and employee share mutually in this 
disadvantage, it appears ' that the jwofits of each are 
very much less than those of their Western competitors, at 
least upon that proportion of their products which seeks a 
market west of Central Ohio, This is only one of the many 
causes which operates against the Eastern manufacturer,^ 
when he crosses a given line with his products approaching 
the West; and the capitalist who engages in useful industries 
in this valley, need not fear Easter7"i competition-. Cheaper 
materials, cheaper labor, and superior natural advantages 
'will protect him ; and his entei-prisc will be rewarded with 
:greater profit than is enjoyed by Eastern exporters. 

We need scarcely refer again to the fallacy of the system which 
now obtains, of shipping millions of tons of raw products 
to the East every year, to be manufactured there and then 
returned to the Western States to supply the people with the 
necessary elements of consumption. Hundreds of thousands 
of men are now engaged on land and sea in this mightv 
work of transportation; and the truth is quite apparent, that 
they are paid by means of a material addition to the selling 
price of the manufactured wares which they are engaged in 
moving. The immediate and inevitable result is, that the 
profits of the manuficturer are greatly lessened, and the 
expense of the consumer considerably augmented. It will be 
generally received, that an}- policy which will save this im- 
mense tax upon the industrial classes, is founded upon the 
unost excellent tenets of political economy: and its practical 
realization may be found in the development of manufactur- 
ing interests in the producing regions, to that extent as to sup- 
ply the demands of consumption, and thus do away with the 
necessity of transportation to luid from the seaboard. He, 
indeed, is a poor reasoner who will assume to enter an ob- 
jection here, that such an arrangement would destroy or lessen 
the commerce between the States. On the contrary, it would 
greatly increase the legitimate traffic. Capital and labor, 
which are now thus employed, and which derive profit from 
a tax imposed upon the class which they assume to benefit, 



36 LOWER FOX KIVER VALLEY. 

would become engaged in enterprises of great consequence, 
and whose profits would proceed from an absolute creation of 
value. This new and improved condition of affairs would 
swell the tide of commerce, and one that would be legitimate 
and necessary. On account of its natural advantages that 
have been treated, few can any longer doubt that the Fox 
River Valley is the place where this grand development of 
enterprises should be made. 

WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN BONE. 

In the previous pages we have endeavored to show what 
the advantages of this locality are, and why, and how they 
should be improved. But it would not be the fair thing to 
do, to close the books without, at least, indicating the proper 
credit for the enterprise which is manifested and the advance- 
ment which has been made. A few figures will best explain. 
The various counties embraced in the Fox River Valley 
annually manufacture products which amount to the following- 
respective values: 

VALLEY OF LOWER FOX. 

Counties. Dollars In products. 

Brown $2,076,410 

Outagamie 1,108,292 

Calumet 157,260 

Winnebago 5,209,947 

TOTAI 8,551,909 

VALLEY OF UPPER FOX. 

Counties. I^ollars iu products. 

Green Lake 890,123 

Waushara 271,494 

Marquette 233,177 

Columbia 713)139 

Total 2,107,933 

8,551,909 

Grand Total ;gio,659,842 

It is proper to add that four years have elapsed since these 
figures have been compiled, during which time it is safe to 
estimate that the armual amount of our manufactured pro- 
ducts have increased at least one-half, in which case they 



LOWER FOX RIVER VALLEY. 37 

would represent a value of $20,ocx>,ooo, which is by no 
means a discreditable exhibit for a locality which has only 
just passed its majority. This degree of development, to 
which we have attained, is entirely due to western nerve, and 
muscle, and brains, unassisted by capital. It has been accom- 
plished by a generation of pioneers who began with nothing ; 
who substituted industry for every other element that is used 
in the creation of wealth; who recognized the advantages of 
the country and their adaptation to manufacturing enterprises; 
who began in a small way and developed into respectful pro- 
portions; who have put forth their efforts to overcome 
nature's resistance to man, and make her resources subservient 
to a higher and nobler purpose ; and they have been rewarded by 
her with bounteous liberality. The lesson of their experi- 
ence is just sufficient to demonstrate how profitable the estab- 
lishment of industrial enterprises in this valley may be made, 
by the assistance of capital and its concomitants. The demand 
for our products is increasing and unlimited, the supply of 
materials vast and inexhaustible, and the facilities for securing 
and manufacturing them are unexcelled in this or any other 
country; and, indeed, every inducement presents itself to 
encourage and warrant the continued and more rapid develop- 
ment of these resources. 



APPLE TON. 



All that has been said in the preceding pages relative to 
the Fox River Valley — its advantages and its prospects — will 
apply with equal and even more direct force to the city of 
Appleton, because it is the natural center of that important 
region which has been described. Although there are other 
cities situated in this valley, which possess, in some degree, 
great natural advantages like ourselves, still there are none 
whose present prosperity is more rapid, or whose prospective 
development is as promising as that of Appleton. It pos- 
sesses all of the natural characteristics necessary for a manu- 
facturing city of great distinction, and while it is no part of 
the object of this work to detract from the merits of neigh- 
boring cities, which share in common with us, to a great ex- 
tent, the rich heritage by which nature has distinguished this 
locality, it is nevertheless true that it maintains a position of 
marked superiority over its rivals, by reason of both its 
natural characteristics and the improvements which have 
already been made. These considerations are of primary 
and great importance to the business man who is seeking 
profitable investment for his capital. While other advantages 
calculated to minister to his esthetic tastes, enter into and 
oftentimes determine his decision, it is the material features 



;ketch and data 



OiF- tkce: 



f LEXO|i WaJI^ P©WE% 




CITY OF APPLETON. 39 

of a place which receive his most favorable attention ; but the 
city in which both are combined, is that to which his prefer- 
ence is invariably given. That Appleton is a representative 
of this favored class, is a question on which there is no dis- 
pute among those who are familiar with its attractions. 

WATER-POWEH. 

Some of the salient features of the water-power on the 
Lower Fox River, have been partially set forth in the pre- 
vious pages, but a more elaborate description of the power at 
Appleton will be proper in this connection. Its superiority 
appears when a comparison of its features is made with the 
other principal powers of the country. Its suppl}' is not 
drawn from mountain torrents like the Mill River, of Massa- 
chusets, the Hudson and Merrimack, and other principal rivers 
of the country, but from smaller streams ramifying a vast 
expanse of undulating country — thus rendering a uniformity 
of flowage, instead of excessive or limited discharges. In 
addition to this, as if to combine in this series of water-powers 
the advantages of all others, nature has provided immense 
rerervoirs, sufficient in capacity to contain the accumulation 
of the upper streams, tributary thereto, for months together; 
and the uniformity of flowage is thereby more strictly pre- 
served. So closely related is the maximum and minimum 
quantity discharged, that the difference is never greater than 
three feet, and is scarcely ever more than thirty inches. The 
practical manufacturer will draw his own conclusions as to 
the advantages of this arrangement so admirably designed by 
nature. His first impression will be, that up to a certain 
point, whicli can be ascertained, the capacity of the power can 
be utilized, and, with absolute certainty, that the force calcu- 
lated upon will be unfailing throughout the entire year. 
The manufacturer who is located on a fluctuating stream, and 
who is compelled to suspend operations a considerable por- 
tion of every year, will appreciate this advantage. Then, 
too, there are other considerations that will scarcely escape 
his notice. Owing to this gradual flow of water, there is 
absolutely no danger whatever from freshets to mills, factories 



SKETCH AND DATA 




West's Can a1 — t.ooo ft long, ijo Tt wido . 17^ fl (Jceji 

Govcmiiieiil Canal—fi.ioo (l. long ; 100 U wi<If , 6 ft 'Jeep. 

Distance to Commercial Center, i.joo ft. 

Diwancc to C. & N. W R. R. Depot 1,400 ft. 

Fall of River, 40 ft. 

Flow of Water, 150,000 cubic ft. per minute 



40 



CrTY OF APPLETON. 



and warehouses at this point. Raw materials, manufactured 
stock, and the foundations of buildings which are 36 inches 
above low water mark, are never reached nor interfered with 
by the swelling currents of the river. The same causes also 
operate to render dams of ordinary stability, and structures of 
every kind, built to resist the natural flow of the water, entirely 
safe against the increased pressure created by swollen streams. 
Too much cannot be said concerning the advantage of this 
natural isecurity. When we come to consider the terrible 
disasters to life and property, w^hich frequently occur upon 
other streams, it is more fully appreciated. The Mill River 
calamity ,'bf recent^date, which spread such appalling devasta- 
tion along one of the most beautiful and industrious valleys 
of New England, and by which nearly two-hundred lives 
were destroyed, and the accumulated property of a century 
swept away, is at least sufficient to turn the attention of the 
practical mind to another locality which possesses every 
natural advantage in a superior degree, separated from the 
dangers which usually attend rapidly flowing streams. It 
may also be remarked, that the rigor of this northern climate 
does not embarrass the driving of machinery in this valley, 
which is an advantage possessed by few localities claiming the 
distinction which we enjoy. Block ice is never created on 
our rapids to clog the revolution of machinery, nor is it ever 
carried down by the surging stream in quantities large 
enough to endanger property or put a stop upon our indus- 
trial operations. It is by no means an extravagant statement 
to make that, all things considered, Appleton presents a 
water-power unrivalled by any other on the continent, or 
even in the world. It is true that its advantages may not be 
generally known among the prominent moneyed men of the 
country; but a few, however, have become familiar with it.-> 
merits, and to w^hose opinions we shall allow expression in 
this connection. Hon. Wm. B. Ogden, of Chicago, one of 
the most deservedly successful business men in the whok- 
country, says: 

" There is more value in tlollars and cents in the water- 
power at Appleton, than any other I have ever known." 




lllJiillii::li;:;l!l!i::;:ii!,'ai !!' iil 8i:.':'i'IL'lffi-':S:'l::;" ':il»\'^'a:\:?v-y^ ' s ■! K i ; 1 1! 'iimm<'mi^«l'''\ . '"■■'' if^'f 'mx 



CITY OF APPLETON. 41 

Again, Mr. Gustavus Ames, one of the most successful in- 
ventors of this decade, and prominent manufacturer of 
Rochester, N. Y., says: ' 

" I would not change the power in your city for any like 
quantity in any other place, because of its immense body, 
and for purposes where pure water is required, no place can 
compare to the power in Appleton." 

Mr. Ames is an extensive manufacturer of paper, and, of 
course, he attaches proper emphasis to a point which he re- 
gards as being very important. And it is undeniably true 
that Appleton is unrivalled by any other place in the country 
as a location for industries of this class. 

Hon. Hiram Barney, of New York, expresses his opinion 
in these words: 

"It wouldbe unjust to bespeak for Appleton a future like 
Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham, or like Lowell, Patter- 
son or Rochester; for its natural advantages are greater than 
are possessed by all of those cities combined. Capital only is 
wanting to realize all that imagination can picture of pros- 
perity to this valley, of which this beautiful city is the center, 
and this want will be of short duration. When the advan- 
tages of its water-power shall reveal the profits which capital 
invested will earn for its owners, money in millions will 
naturally seek at that point its safety and its iiftrease." 

These are the deliberate expressions of men who repre- 
sent the business enterprise of three great cities of the con- 
tinent, and who are competent to judge fully of the magnifi- 
cent advantages which the Appleton water-power possesses. 
Some of them, with others equally prominent, have practi- 
cally illustrated their faith in its value, by investing capital at 
this point in the Fox River Valley, and the fact that these 
words have been uttered after the results of their investments 
became known, gives to them additional force. 

A VAILABJL/TY. 

There is probably not another water-power in the country 
that offers such excellent inducements for the establishment 
of great manufacturing enterprises as the one at Appleton. 

Its essential and material features nature has contrived most 



42 



CITY OK APPLETON. 



admirably, and industrious ma,n has wrought upon them such 
improvements as render the application of this agent to use- 
ful purposes an easy, safe and profitable undertaking. By 
referring to the accompanying map, a still more accurate idea 
may be obtained of the capacity and advantages which it 
possesses. In his tracing of the map, the reader is invited to 
assume as the initial point of the examination, that section of 
the river which is divided by the upper or stone dam. This 
magnificent structure is the work of the government for the 
improvement of navigation upon the Lower Fox. It is now 
in process of construction, and will be completed during the 
summer of 1S74, at a total cost of not less than $50,000. 
It is 700 feet long, 12 feet high, and is built of solid stone 
masonry. It is by far the most enduring structure of the 
kind on the line of the river, and, in fact, no better or more 
substantial one could be built. Besides answering the purpose 
of the government, it will also serve as a permanent improve- 
ment to the water-power facilities of this place. As will be 
seen, a considerable proportion of the waters flowing in the 
main channel is directed, by means of the stone dam and 
the adjacent pier on the south side, into the canal originally 
constructed by the Green Bay and Mississippi Canal Co., but 
lately purchased by the government. The primary object of 
this artificial channel is to subserve the purposes of naviga- 
tion, but the supply of water is so abundant that the demands 
of commerce may be met, besides leaving a residue of ample 
magnitude to be utilized in driving machinery of various 
kinds. Accordingly, this canal may be tapped upon either 
side, and at any point, and any amount of water drawn 
therefrom that may be desired. It will be noticed that the 
length of the upper level is 1,800 feet; that of the middle 
level 1,700 feet; and that of the lower level 2,600 feet. The 
reader will observe that a series of water-powers can be 
furnished by this channel for a distance of over one mile, with 
an average head of not less than 13 feet. A canal may also 
be extended several hundred feet below the point where the 
lower lock is situated, and a series of magnificent water- 
powers thus be created. The owners of the land in this 



CITY OF APPLETON. 43 

vicinity, Messrs. Hyde & Harriman, are already contem- 
plating such improvements. On either side of the govern- 
ment canal are spacious accommodations for factory sites, the 
greater part of the distance. The water-power franchises 
created by this canal, are still in the possession and at the 
disposal of the Green Bay and Mississippi Canal Company, 
by which they were retained when the balance of the prop- 
erty was disposed of to the government. The depth of this 
canal is seven feet, and the average width 130 feet. 

On the north side of the river similar advantages exist, 
and may be enlarged upon as soon as the multiplication of 
the industries of the place demand it. Beginning at the termi- 
nus of the dam and approaching the east, a canal can be con- 
structed 2,000 feet in length, that will create a series of excel- 
lent powers, with heads varying from 13 to 25 feet. A 
considerable part of this property is in the hands of 
Messrs Conkey and Rogers, who are making extensive and 
valuable improvements, this season. By means of wing dams, 
etc., considerable power already exists, and is utilized on this 
side of the river, but, of course, the great bulk of flowage 
passes over the dam and down the principal stream. At a 
distance of about 1,350 feet from this point, the current of the 
river is divided by the Grand Chute Island — an area of terri- 
tory embracing about 24 acres, or 3,840 square rods. Through 
the center of this island, in the year 1870, Mr. Edward West, 
who owns the property, built a magnificent ship canal, at a cosf 
of $20,000. It is 171^ feet deep, 130 feet wide, and about 2,000 
feet in length. This splendid enterprise was conceived and con- 
summated by Mr. West, who recognized in the near future the 
importance of such an improvement, as well as a demand for 
the advantages which it would create. Its successful comple- 
tion was the most important stride of development which 
the water-power facilities in this valley have yet taken. The 
advantages which it affords for ^manufacturing can scarcely 
be equalled anywheie. It receives an iiivariable supply of 
water, directed between its banks from the river, by means of 
a wing dam extending some distance into the stream. Tht 
lots, fronting on both sides of the canal, afford ample accom- 



44 CITY OF APPLETON. 

modations for at least 75 manufacturing establishments, with 
streets in the rear leading to railway depots, main thorough- 
fares, etc. The design of the originator of this enterprise is, 
to effect navigable communication between the canal and the 
river below, by the construction of a lock at the eastern 
terminus, as soon as a more complete development of our in- 
dustrial interests demand it. This will enable boats of large 
capacity to pass into and along this canal, and receive the 
manufactured wares at the very doors of the various establish- 
ments, which may be located upon its banks. Thus the ex- 
pense of draying and handling goods several times, which is 
unavoidable in most other localities, will all be saved by reason 
of the splendid facilities which this channel affords. The 
economy of this arrangement will readily be recognized by 
sagacious and discriminating business men, and it will not be 
necessary to describe in detail the resulting benefits. 

Below the eastern terminus of West's canal is another dam,' 
about 10 feet in height, by means of which another series of 
magnificent water-powers can be created. Some of this 
power is already utilized, but the great bulk of it is still unap- 
propriated. On the east side a canal may be extended to any 
desired distance, from which power may be drawn. 

Another point of great importance to those who may con- 
teniplate the establishment of manufacturing industries in 
this locality, is the extremely and unusually low rates at 
which water-power can be leased or purchased. There are 
various reasons upon which this may be accounted for. First, 
the supply is so great that, in any event, many years must 
elapse before it will be utilized; and secondly, the parties and 
corporations who control this property have always main- 
tained, and still observe, a liberal policy with reference to 
enterprises which seek establishment here. Water is allowed 
to leap to the wheels of industry unrestrained by a tariff that 
imposes any considerable tax upon their operations. To 
enable accurate conclusions to be reached, it is only necessary 
to add, that the highest rates that have ever been charged 
have not exceeded $5 per horse-power, per annum, while 
very good sites and unlimited accommodations of this kind, 




iil 



illjl; 



!:;'4 







' ■llll 



lIliM 






m 



H. 



i§ 



I ililliM rii' ii'Viiil iiN:i i'lii.l' -i'ii.|i:ii:'l ':':' 'iv . .,:,!■ ;^lliwSii|gji^@^^g^^^^^ 




CITY OF APPLETON. 45 

are leased at $3 per horse-power for a long term of years. 
Lots 60 feet wide and 150 feet in depth, with guaranteed 
privilege of 50 horse-power, can be purchased outright at 
prices ranging from $1,200 to $2,000, The advantage of 
such exceedingly low rates will be appreciated when a com- 
parison is made with those which are exacted in other locali- 
ties. On some streams in Wisconsin even, they are fifteen 
times greater, while in most of the prominent places at the 
East, the proportion is more than twenty-five times as great. 
This, as well as numerous other advantages that we have 
enumerated, operates to render the annual profits of the manu- 
facturer much more liberal here than elsewhere. 

PRODUCTS OF APPLETON INDUSTRIES. 

The inference may possibly be drawn, that because such a very 
large proportion of our excellent and superior facilities are as 
yet unappropriated, the industrial interests of the place are 
scarcely worthy of computation. A few figures, however, 
which have been carefully compiled, will serve to remove 
any such doubt. There are now annually manufactured in 
this city, products amounting to the following respective 
values: 

Baskets $30,000 

Barrels 32,000 

Brick 160,000 

Carriages and Wagons 10,000 

Chairs, Bedsteads and Furniture 100,000 

Doors, Sash and Blinds 100,000 

Flour 740,000 

Hubs and Spokes 150,000 

Iron 322,000 

Leather 15.000 

Lime 20,000 

Lumber 175,000 

Machinei7 45.ooo 

Pjjper 80,000 

Pumps iS>ooo 

Staves and Heading 80,000 

Wood Pulp 125,000 

Woolen Goods 100,000 

Miscellaneous 260,000 

Total $2,325,000 

7 



46 CITY OF APPLETON. 

RAILROAD FACILITIES. 

Taking into account our present and prospective railroad 
advantages, there is little else demanded in this respect by the 
material interests of this locality. The Chicago and North- 
western line, and the various other roads which it intersects 
at other points, afford reliable shipping facilities to the South, 
West and East, and in fact all parts of the country. The 
extension of this road, into the great mineral districts 
of Lake Superior, is also of great consequence to 
the manufacturers of this place. The rapid development 
of that country which is now going on, creates a de- 
mand for many kinds of our products, which can be shipped 
in that direction, at all seasons of the year, by this line of 
road. By referring to the map, it will also be noticed, that 
our water-power has connection by rail with Manitowoc, a 
city on the lake shore, about 40 miles distant. This road is 
not yet completed to the proposed terminus in this city, but 
less than one-half mile of track remains to be laid; and the 
probabilities are that this part of the work will be accom- 
plished during the present summer of 1874. This will be a 
valuable line of transportation to our manufacturers. It will 
receive their wares almost upon the very grounds where they 
are made, and thus save the cost otherwise involved in extra 
handling and hauling to depots and points of shipment. 
Manitowoc is naturally one of the best ports on the lake, 
and offers facilities for transshipment by water that are unsur- 
passed. Liberal appropriations have been made by the 
government, from time to time, for its improvement, and as a 
shipping point its advantages are unsurpassed. It is also the 
intention of the present Board of Directors of this company, 
which is almost entirely composed of New York and Boston 
capitalists, to extend this line westward and northward from 
Appleton, to intersect with the Green Bay and Minnesota 
Railroad, about twenty miles distant. This will give us di- 
rect communication with the great producing sections of 
Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the great tide of 
commerce will be directed to and through this point. As 



CITY OF APPLKTON. 



47 



that country continues to be developed, there will also be 
created a demand for large quantities of various classes of 
wares produced in this city. We will thus be placed in con- 
venient relation with a new and important market, which we 
can supply at a much less cost than manufacturers who are 
less favorably located. 

By glancing again at the sketch of our water-power, previ- 
ously presented, the proposed extension of the Wisconsin 
Central Railroad to Grand Chute Island, will be observed. 
When this enterprise is carried into effect, (and the growing 
interests of the place already demand it,) we shall be directly 
connected with Milwaukee, the metropolis of the State, from 
which point radiate numerous railroads, reaching out and 
ramifying every important section of the country. Another 
arm of this important thoroughfare reaches into and through 
Northern Wisconsin on a line which nearly equally divides 
the State north and south, and terminates at Ashland, Lake 
Superior, at which point a junction will ultimately be formed 
with the Northern Pacific. This country is rich beyond 
calculation in undeveloped wealth, and with which the ex- 
change of commodoties, at no distant day, must become an 
industry of great magnitude. The advantages to be derived 
from this source by the manufacturer at Appleton, will readily 
suggest themselves to the discerning mind, and need not here 
be enumerated. The general effect of the extension of these 
various lines of road to the water-power in this city, each of 
which is managed by a distinct corporation, will be to de- 
velop a healthy competition for the business of the place, by 
means of w^hich minimum rates, for the shipment of goods by 
rail, can always be obtained. 

These advantages, combined with those offered by the 
cheap water-route which has been previously considered in 
detail, render the transportation problem a pleasant matter 
for the manufacturer at Appleton to contemplate; while in 
other localities it is a difficuly which evolves serious and 
disastrous results, and eats out industries that would otherwise 
develop and become profitable. Indeed, the difference in our 
favor, between the relative annual cost of transportation to a 



^8 CITY OF APPI.ETON. 

manufacturing establishment located in this city, and a similar 
concern in a less favored place, would make for it a very 
handsome yearly dividend. This is a very important matter 
which individuals and companies seeking a profitable in- 
vestment for their capital cannot ignore. It is a question, too, 
the more thoroughly it is investigated, the more marked will 
the result, in favor of this city, appear. 

ESTIMATED MANUFACTURING CAPACITY. 

An approximate estimate may be made of the manufactur- 
ing capacity of this city with the most flattering results, pro- 
vided all the power available is utilized to a reasonable extent. 
As has already been presented in a previous table, the privi- 
leges of this kind enjoyed by Appleton throughout the en- 
tire year, reach in extent 11,500 horse-power. A manufac- 
turing establishment, of average capacity, will require of this 
amount about 30 horse-power. This calculation will'admit of 
the successful operation in this city of 384 "different factories. 
Allowing that the products of each one will amount to an 
average of $100,000 per year, which is not an exaggerated 
estimate, and we find that the aggregate annual value of the 
products of these various industries, reaches the enormous 
sum of $38,400,000. This degree of development may be 
reserved for the distant future, but it is sure to be attained 
sometime. The superior advantages which we possess, the 
growing demands of the country and of civilization, the 
characteristic push and enterprise of the present generation, 
are sufficient to warrant the belief, that they will be fully 
utilized within the limits of the 19th century. The possibility 
we have pictured is not the product of fancy, but rather the 
result of demonsti'ation. 

OTHER ADVANTAGES— TAXATION AND PUBLIC 

DEBT 

For a Western city, which is as yet only in the embryo of 
development, our rates of taxation and public debt are very 
small. The municipal government has pursued a liberal 



CITY OF APPLKTON. 



49 



policy with reference to needed improvements, and we doubt 
if there is a city of equal size anywhere in the country, where 
public convenience and necessity are more thoroughly pro- 
vided for. Still, the rate of taxation which is required, to 
meet the annual disbursements, does not exceed from ^ to i 
per cent., on a fair valuation ; while the amount of our public 
debt is scarcely i per cent. — placing the value of our property, 
real and personal, upon a similar basis. When a comparison 
is made of the condition of our public finances, with that of 
other localities, the result in our favor appears most flattering, 
and in any light which they may be regarded, the exhibit is 
certainly very creditable. Due importance will be attached 
to this fact by men who are seeking homes and business loca- 
tions. It operates against necessary expenditures and swells 
the annual profits of every establishment. 

ATTRA CTIONS AS A PLACE OF RESIDENCE AND 
SUMMER RESORT. 
The healthfulness of this city is a marked characteristic of 
the place. It occupies a level site about 70 feet above the 
river, and the atmosphere by which it is enveloped is pure 
and invigorating. Although the climate reaches the extremes 
of temperature, common to such latitudes, yet it contains those 
vital elements which beget and sustain vigorous life. Epi- 
demics, which, of some type or other, few places escape, 
scarcely ever visit this favored spot. Unlike many Western 
cities, it has been distinguished in this particular from its 
earliest settlement. As the city has excellent drainage facili- 
ties, all impure collections are carried off, and no opportunity 
allowed for the atmosphere to become impregnated with the 
noxious elements which foster and beget disease, in various 
forms. Owing to this natural configuration, the marked 
cleanliness of the city is one of the first impressions which a 
stranger receives in visiting this locality. 

ED UCA TIONAL FA CILITIES. 

It is, perhaps, quite unusual, but still it can be easily ac- 
counted for, that a Western city of so limited an age, and 
whose material resources are as yet in the infancy of develop- 



5© CITY OF APPLETON. 

ment, possesses the superior educational advantages which 
but few places ever enjoy. But when it is remembered that 
the corner-stone upon which this city has been reared thus 
far, was an educational institution, founded in this place a 
a quarter of a century ago, it is not strange that this impor- 
tant interest of society should have kept pace, not only with 
the demands of this immediate locality, but of this and 
neighboring States as well. Lawrence University was the 
nucleus about which the elements, which serve to make up a 
city, were collected ; and it being the first chief feature of at- 
traction, Appleton stood out from the first as a place possess- 
ing unusual and superior educational facilities. The curric- 
ulum of the University is as extended and comprehensive 
as that of any other institution in the West. It embraces 
classical, scientific and civil engineering courses, while music, 
fine arts and other similar branches, receive the attention 
which their importance deserves. 

During the present summer material additions have been 
made to the facilities of the University, which, in^the scope of 
usefulness, must place it far in advance of every institution in 
the West. An academic institute has been established, that 
will serve a purpose in the educational system, somew^hat 
foreign to the college proper, but which is calculated to ac- 
complish a work none the less important. It will consist of 
six departments, viz., the Juvenile, Academic, Preparatory, 
Commercial, Drawing and Painting, and Conservatory of 
Music. The institution will be under the direction of experi- 
enced and accomplished instructors, and the method of in- 
struction will be largely that of the object lessons. The sys- 
tem, to which it is devoted, regards the practical instruction of 
the youth of both sexes, in the various industrial arts, of great 
importance. It not only qualifies to receive and comprehend 
the higher and more advanced educational truths, but it also 
inculcates ideas that will be of legitimate service in the fu- 
ture adventures and ex2:)enences of life. 

The Universitv enjoys an excellent reputation, in this and 
<jther States, all of which are tributary to its maintenance 
and development. Its administration is in the hands of an 



CITY OF APPLETON. 51 

able and accomplished faculty, the members of which rank 
high among educational men, both in this country and in 
Europe. 

Another institution, equally worthy of notice, and of no in- 
considerable importance to the educational facilities of Ap- 
pleton, is the German Select School, established in this city 
five years ago. It already occupies a permanent basis, and 
is of peculiar and incalculable value to people of all nation- 
alities, for the superior advantages which it affords for the 
instruction of the rising generation in the German language. 
It is liberally supported, and is constantly growing in popular 
favor. 

An excellent and well managed system of ward schools 
also obtains in this city. Ample and extensive accommoda- 
tions of this kind exist, and the people have a just pride in 
maintaining them, at the advanced limit to which such insti- 
tutions usually attain. It is here that educational advantages 
are brought within the reach of all classes of which the com- 
munity is composed, and where the foundation is laid for 
future usefulness and a more liberal culture. 

Altogether the facilities for education, offered in this city, 
are varied and comprehensive, and, in this respect, Appleton 
will rank favorably with the most advanced city on the con- 
tinent. 

SOCIAL LIFE, ITS INSTITUTIONS, ETC. 

Of course it is quite or wholly unnecessary that any effort 
should be made here to dispel illusions which formerly pre- 
vailed very generally, throughout the Eastern States, with re- 
ference to the condition of society, its status of development, 
etc., at this as well as at other points in the West. Of late 
years, the intercourse between the East and West has become 
so intimate, and their interests so nearly identical, that we no 
longer suffer materially from erroneous opinions entertained 
of our social condition. In Appleton, especially, the ad- 
vanced degree of social culture and refinement, which has 
been attained, is very marked. The people have a proper 
appreciation of the benefits and pleasures to be derived from 



52 CITY OF APPLETON. 

amicable intercourse, and Eastern people visiting this locality 
will find the contrast in this respect, to that to which they 
have been accustomed, less distinct than they might at first 
anticipate. Neither will they find it difficult to secure a 
place in the -social circles in which the amenities of life are 
cultivated and protected. Churches and societies, of various 
kinds, incident to advanced civilization, and calculated to im- 
prove and develop mind and morals, are among the established 
and cherished institutions of the place. 

BEA UTY OF SCENER Y. 

There are few places in this or any other State, where 
nature has spread out and woven her mantle of beauty in 
such rich and rare graces as adorn Appleton and its environs. 
Lend to them a history as ancient as that of the sunny 
fields of Italy, the beautiful banks of the Rhine, or the vine- 
clad hills of France, and they will become a more coveted 
theme for poets, a finer subject for the artist's pencil, and a 
grander text for the inspired orator. The natural configura- 
tion is an object which attracts attention, and fully satisfies 
the sense of the beautiful. The graceful slopes which re- 
cede from the flowing stream, upon both sides, until a level 
table land is reached, form a picture which to look upon is to 
admire. Woodland, and meadow, and cultivated plot, occur 
upon these banks in pleasing alternative, and present scenes 
of ravishing beauty. To all these the roar of the tremen- 
dous water-falls, the music of the swift-coursing stream over 
its rocky bed, until it finally merges into a deeper current, 
and then glides on with a gentle murmur, give a vivacity 
that awakens new emotions, only to gratify their most ex- 
treme and exacting demands. From the summit of these 
slopes there can be received within the radii of a single 
vision, all of the features of this beautiful and variegated 
picture, for at least one mile in extent. Aside from this, one 
can overlook all of the varied industries now in operation, 
and hereafter to be established in this beautiful valley, if the 
plain behests of nature are observed. The commercial center 
is at a convenient distance from the w^ater-power, and the 



CITY OF APPLETON. 53 

principal street or avenue upon which it is located reaches a 
distance of two miles, and is one of the finest of which any 
city, large or small, can boast. The resident sections are 
situated on both sides, and are divided into handsome and 
symmetrical squares, which display admirable skill and taste. 
Much is added to the beauty of the city by the profusion of 
shade trees which adorn every square. There is, and may 
still be, hidden beneath their tender and shining foliage many 
a delightful home, where the excitement and turmoil incident 
to individual experience may be shut out, and where each life 
may find placid repose within the sanctity of its bosom. 

RESORT FOR PEOPLE IN PURSUIT OF HEALTH 
OR PLEASURE. 

Many features, that have already been described, are calcu- 
lated to figure conspicuously in the entertainment of the 
tourist and pleasure-seeker. Add to these the delights to be 
experienced in pleasant drives throughout the city and its 
environs, over thoroughly graded roads that reach into the 
country in every direction, and along well-cultivated farms 
that display evidence of thrift and industry — as well as the ex- 
cellent facilities offered for boating and fishing, and all kinds 
of river amusement — and his catalogue of recreations will be 
well-nigh complete. People who are accustomed to the ex- 
dtement, and bustle, and exacting demands of a great, roaring 
city, will find that a few weeks of respite during the summer 
season, in the beautiful sylvan retreats surrounding this 
locality, will replenish and recuperate exhausted systems, and 
endow them with a new lease of life. 

MINERAL SPRINGS. 

Prominent among the attractions which this place presents 
as a summer resort, arethe"Telulah Mineral Springs," which 
are most beautifully situated. An analysis of their waters 
has been made by eminent chemists, which process has dis- 
closed the fact that they possess medicinal properties of rare 
value. Their virtue has also been tested by people with im- 
paired health, and the cures they have wrought, in many 

8 



54 



CITY OF APPLETON. 



cases, are most remarkable. Although the peculiarity of these 
springs has been known for some time by the people of this 
locality, nothing has been done until the present season to 
acquaint the outside world with their subtle power. Already 
their fame is spreading rapidly, and they give fair promise to 
become a more popular resort than similar springs else- 
where in the country have ever been. The beautiful sur- 
roundings lend additional enchantment to this resort. Upon 
one side the gladsome current of the Fox steals along its 
grassy borders; and on the other an extensive park, em- 
bracing not less than 40 acres, and possessing innumerable at- 
tractions of rustic retirement, offers the rarest entertainment 
which nature, in her bounty, ever provides. 

An item usually regarded as of great importance is that the 
hotel accomodations of the city are ample and extensive, and, 
thus far, have even kept in advance of public requirement, 
great as that has been. Every desirable convenience is pro- 
vided for guests, and at rates far below what are generally ex- 
acted at watering places. 

THE COUNTY. 

Appleton is the seat of government of Outagamie County, 
a region of territory embracing about 576 square miles, or 
368,640 acres. The townships situated nearest the city are 
thoroughly improved and cultivated by an industrious farm- 
ing population, and present as advanced an appearance as any 
county or State can display. The value of farming lands in 
this vicinity varies from $50 to $100 per acre, according to 
location and character of buildings. The settlement of towns 
further in the interior, and in the northern part of the county, 
took place at a later period, and, of course, have not reached 
that degree of development indicated above. Every year, 
however, witnesses the inauguration of new improvements, 
which will soon entitle them to be classed with their older 
neighbors. Land is valued in these localities at from $10 to 
$50 per acre, which is determined by the extent and variety 
of improvements that have been made. 



CITY OF APPLETON. 



55 



Throughout the entire county the farmers cannot be re- 
garded other than a favored class. The lands are fertile, and 
yield liberal returns for the labor expended. The growing 
industries of the city create a demand for his surplus timber, 
and all other materials, and all of his products are market- 
able at prices far above what he would receive if his sur- 
roundings were less favorable. 

POPULA TION. 

In 1870 the population of the city, according to the last 
census, was 4,518; that of the county, exclusive of the city, 
13,912. According to the school census, recently taken, and 
other reliable data at hand, the former figures may now be 
increased to 7,500, and the latter to 18,000, which shows a 
creditable increase during this period. 

CONCL USION. 

Much has been said in the preceding pages of the advan- 
tages of this city as a manufacturing point, and of its attrac- 
tions as a place of residence, which may possibly be received 
with a good deal of allowance by the reader, who may never 
have heard of this locality before, or become familiar with its 
merits. If so, the only additional remark we can urge is, 
that one and all who may still entertain doubts of the present 
importance and future prominence of this city, are respect- 
fully invited to visit this place, and see how faithful these 
pages have been to the existing facts. Every claim set 
forth, and statement made, occupies a substantial basis, and 
will suffer nothing from the most thorough and searching in- 
vestigation. Indeed, that is what every friend of the city 
desires to have done, believing that it will be followed by a 
rapid influx of capital, to be invested in enterprises that will 
prove remunerative to the owners, and beneficial to the civili- 
zation of modern times. 



THE APPLETON 



CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 



It will be a matter of considerable importance to outsiders 
to know that an organization^as above indicated, has recently 
been formed in this city, embracing in its membership the 
leading business men of this locality, who represent our man- 
ufacturing, mercantile and commercial interests. The follow- 
ing are the officers elect of the organization : 

A. L. Smith, President 

David Smith, \st Vice-President. 

George Kreiss, znd Vice-President. 

A. J. Reid, Secretary. 

J. E. Harriman, Treasurer. 

Theodore Conkey, G. N. Richmond, J. H. Whorton, 

E. C. GoKF, H. J. Rogers, S. Ryan, Jr., 

Geo. I. Brewster. 

G. W. Spaulding, S. R. Willy, R. R. Bateman. 

The Appleton Chamber of Commerce holds weekly meet- 
ings, at which business matters are considered and negotia- 
tions made. Strangers visiting the city are invited to be pres- 
ent at these sessions, and will find both the officers and the 
members ready and willing to furnish any intelligence in 
their power. Also, parties residing elsewhere can secure any 
information they may desire relative to this place, or the ad- 
vantages which it offers to any particular department of trade 
or industry, by addressing the organization. All communica- 
tions will be answered promptly and to the point. 




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